Any tips to reinforce fiberglass tent poles?

Ludwig

Ludwig

Joined
Feb 25, 2007
Messages
1,877
Hey guys,

I was browsing around a big box sporting goods store today, and I found a cheap tent on sale. I happened to have a $10 off coupon to go with it, and I figured it would be an interesting project for the weekend.

Anyway, I checked out some reviews, and some other users have experienced problems with the fiberglass poles breaking (as with other tents). Trying to take a proactive approach to this problem, do you guys have any tips for reinforcing the tent poles to prevent splitting/breaking? Thanks in advance for any help.

Ludwig

PS - Big thanks to everyone in the W&SS. I've picked up quite a few tips and tricks from this forum, and seeing everyone's kits and gear is always cool.
 
I have an aluminum tube of 8 inches or so.
I case of pole breakage, put broken poles into that tube and fix them with adhesive tape.
 
When my pole cracked (green stick style) i wrapped with Duck tape.I'm thinking if you pre empted and do it before it may help.
 
I've seen fiberglass poles wrapped in duct tape.
I guess it works, but they get heavy!

Treat them gently, don't roll your tent on its side to dry the bottom (don't ask), and keep some duct tape and aluminum tubing in your tent bag.
Can probably store the tape on the tube.
Make sure the tube doesn't have sharp edges as well.
 
Get some lightweight aluminum and cut some sleeves. But, like what Fraser said, that's the better option.
 
Well, I appreciate the tips. I think I'm going to try wrapping the poles in duct tape first and test out the gear. If the weight is acceptable, and the tent feels like it'll hold up well, then that's that. Otherwise, I'll pick up some aluminum poles. Thanks again and I'll post pics when the modifications are done.
 
Why do all that work for something that might break?
Wouldn't it be easier to make some repair tubes as the poster above suggested and have a repair kit, in case you need it.

Stock up on WD40 to get rid of the sticky residue from the duct tape if you do remove it.

Either way good luck :)
 
It seems to me that REI used to sell some fiberglass tape for tent pole repair. I never used it, so I don't know how well it worked (or even if they still sell it), but it might be worth investigating.
 
I should say that the only broken fiberglass tent poles that I've seen were my bud's.
He insisted on covering his tent with a tarp and staking the tarp down tight.
The poles were under stress all of the time.
Normally, if you work the zipper or pull on the door, one side loads under the extra strain and the other side unloads, easing that strain to a point.
With the tarp pulled tight over the tent, the poles could only overload (granted little by little) and the poles on the other side couldn't unload to give the flex needed to keep things 'comfortable'.

I've had 2 tents with fiberglass poles, my first two and never had a problem.
The tent after that had aluminum poles and after around 10 years I broke one of them.

Current tent, 10 YO Eureka, has what I think are fiberglass poles and I have not problems at all. The tent is way better designed as well with a small section of the poles going thru sleeves and the rest of the tent held on by clips.

Don't worry be happy :)
 
You make a very good point Ebbtide. I've already started wrapping one of the poles in the tape, and the more I get done, the less I think weight will be an issue. But I'm going to take the best of both worlds and put together an aluminum repair kit just in case. This way, I'm covered from both angles :thumbup:
 
I've done Norway deployments with the Marines and mountain training (it's the only time they let us use tents) and the tent preparation always involved duct tape around the ends of the poles to prevent the 'female' end splitting.

Apart from that some guys would get thin copper tubes (thin as you can) and cut 1/2'' lengths. They would either heat the small tube a little so it expanded and then slip them over the female end or they would glue them depending on the individuals preference really. The bare metal was then covered with a layer of tape to prevent your skin sticking to it in the cold.

Only reason I think we avoided aluminum poles was the fact they were bare metal and a contact hazard for bare flesh in the cold.
 
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